Two teams with a rough past, the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings will meet to play what is expected to be an entertaining game this Friday at 3 p.m. at the Red Wings home, Little Caesars Arena.
The last time these teams met each other, their players were required to play strenuously, and even though the Devils fought until the end, the game ended in Detroit’s favor as they ended up overpowering the Devils with a score of 5-3. Though it is expected that New Jersey will triumph over Detroit in this meeting, making a statement win, it could end up being anybody’s game depending on the Devils’ inconsistency as of lately.
As of now, Detroit stands sixth in the Atlantic Division with 22 points, and their record from the last ten games they’ve played is 4-5-1. The Red Wings are coming off on a higher note, though, as their last two games they’ve outplayed the Calgary Flames and New York Islanders, both games ended as big wins for Detroit. Nevertheless, even with all these positives, the Red Wings seem to be struggling a bit on their penalty kill as it sits dead last in the league with a percentage of 68.9.
On the other side of the net, the Devils’ penalty kill seems to be substantially better as it instead stands fifth in league with an admirable percentage of 84.3. An example in recent time of their penalty kill capabilities is the five-minute penalty kill they faced Monday Nov. 25; during this kill, they were reactive with the puck and cleared it out of their own zone whenever they could. Along with their penalty kill comes the powerplay, which is also impressive as the Devils hold a percentage of 30.3 while standing third in the league. Continuing with the positives, New Jersey now stands second in the Metropolitan Division with 32 points behind the Carolina Hurricanes by only one point.
Unlike the Red Wings, the Devils are coming into the game on a lower note as their most recent game was a 3-0 loss against the St. Louis Blues. Along with the loss, they recorded their fourth shutout this month, which may become a future problem.
New Jersey is still without two vital players in their bottom two lines, forwards Nathan Bastian and Curtis Lazar. Bastian is suffering a jaw injury that he incurred during a fight with the Flames’ Ryan Lomberg, while Lazar suffered an injury that forced him to undergo a procedure focusing on his knee. Both players were big parts of the Devils’ bottom lines as they provided defense and occasional offensive contributions.
On the other hand, Detroit has goaltender Alex Lyon and forward Patrick Kane listed as day-to-day for their injuries. Both players are intrinsic to the team and there is almost a guarantee that both of them will be available for the upcoming game.
Both teams have some bad blood with each other, so it is definitely expected to see some physicality exchanged between them.
Detroit may have to be on the lookout for Nico Hischier, as in his past few games he has recorded a hat trick, the first one in his career, along with an assist. Also, in his previous game against the Red Wings, he scored two goals. Next to Hischier some lethal players that may pose a threat to Detroit are Jack Hughes and Jesper Bratt. Jack Hughes has aggressive speed and an eye for finding the back of the net, which sets the expectation to see something from him soon. On to Jesper Bratt, who has showed time and time again his passing abilities that help his linemates get a chance at the net. It’s forecasted to see some action from these players.
New Jersey also has to be on high alert for some of Detroit’s superstars. Dylan Larkin is the Red Wings leading scorer with 12 goals, which puts him on the list alongside Lucas Raymond, who leads the team in assists and points. His sum of points accumulated is a whopping 22. Alex DeBrincat is also somebody to note as he has always been a high-danger player.
Goaltending on both teams has seen improvements throughout this season. As for the Devils, Jacob Markstrom and Jake Allen have evolved within the system and become what New Jersey desperately needed last season. Detroit isn’t far behind, though, as Cam Talbot and Alex Lyon have also been a contribution to some of Detroit’s success. Talbot holds a save percentage of .923 while Lyon holds a percentage of .911.
The expectation is to see a physical and well-balanced game as both teams hold a strong offensive team, on edge defensive lines, and poised goaltending. The win could be awarded to any team; it just depends on who decides to bring the high energy needed.
